The present invention relates to a cartridge for an ink or carbon ribbon for a typewriter, calculating machine, accounting machine or other office machines, wherein the cartridge comprises a container of parallelepipedal form in which are rotatable a pair of spools adapted to wind the ink or carbon ribbon. The ink or carbon ribbon extends outside the container and reenters through a pair of apertures in the container which are adjacent the pair of spools.
A carbon ribbon cartridge of the aforesaid type is known in which the carbon ribbon is unwound from a feed spool and is passed through an aperture to the exterior of the cartridge. The carbon ribbon is mounted manually on two lift ribbon guides and through a second aperture of the cartridge and is guided over a corresponding take-up spool. A knob, integral with the take-up spool, extends through an upper wall of the cartridge to permit grasping thereof for manually turning of the take-up spool. The disadvantage of this cartridge is that the carbon ribbon is not guided in the exterior of the cartridge and the carbon ribbon must be always handled by the operator's hands for mounting same on the lift ribbon guides causing the operator's hands to get soiled. Moreover the projection of the knob causes an unwanted encumbrance on the upper portion of the cartridge.
An ink ribbon cartridge is also known, in which the ink ribbon is unwound from one spool to another spool by passing through a pair of apertures and it is guided to the exterior of the cartridge by a lift ribbon guide mounted on two arms of the cartridge. A cam device then lifts not only the portion of ink ribbon external to the cartridge, but also the entire mass either of the ink ribbon of the cartridge, so that there is required a costly lifting device which requires a great force and causes moreover in some circumstances vibrations on the machine on which the ink cartridge is mounted.